Last week I was on Midday with Dan Rodricks on 88.1 WYPR Baltimore for our usual Midday on Health segment. This time around, we revisited Ebola to discuss the latest issues both in the US and abroad, and were fortunate enough to have Elizabeth Serlemitsos on from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs who is in Liberia working to control the spread of the virus through public education efforts. It was a great conversation.

This week certainly proved proved the Bene Gesserit right, once again… Fear is the Mind-Killer.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

(The above line could be the opening to one of a thousand amazing, creepy stories.)

In any case, Mr. Steve tends to buy truly odd and extreme music in that forum, which occasionally grabs my fancy as well. I followed a link of his to Hymns Of A Forgotten Homeland over this past weekend, and that darned album grabbed my ears and hasn’t let go since. “Appalachian-folk-doom-rock-metal with some seriously moody artistry” is likely the best summary. For your possible listening pleasure:

I had the dubious honor of being a guest on the Mythwits podcast a couple of weeks back, talking about a number of horrible infections, of which Ebola was one. Very much NSFW for exceedingly crass language and crude humor, so be forewarned: